If your aging loved one is scheduled to undergo cardiac surgery soon, you probably have many questions regarding their recovery. How is life after cardiac surgery? How will you manage the recovery, both at the hospital and at home? What are the precautions you will need to take? How will you protect them from being inflicted by infection, especially at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is still prevalent?
Your healthcare provider will continuously monitor post-surgery recovery at the hospital. However, once discharged, you will have to take extra precautions to avoid complications after the surgery. Therefore, it becomes imperative there is a complete focus on post-care either at home or in a care home with specialised and trained personnel.
While recovery after cardiac surgery is unique for everyone, there are some common aftercare tips that one can follow on your road to a safe and speedy recovery.
24×7 Care
Recovery after a cardiac episode can be very overwhelming, especially for seniors who need constant medical attention. Households at most times, do not have the infrastructure or facilities where your loved one’s health constantly, therefore, ensure you have access to a post-operative care home designed to cater to all such medical requirements. Care Homes with trained professionals can offer complete care 24×7.
Monitor their pulse regularly
We cannot overstate the importance of monitoring one’s pulse after cardiac surgery. That is because pulse indicates whether the heart rate is within a safe range. An irregular heart rate usually means more than 110 beats per minute or lower than 60 beats per minute. However, it could differ for people, so it is best to ask your cardiac doctor what a safe heart range means for the body.
Never skip the medicines
Once they are home, we must ensure that they keep taking all the prescribed medicines on time. The doctor may prescribe different medicines for different conditions, depending upon the needs of the body. Also, it is suggested that we make no changes to the medication and its patterns without getting it approved by the Cardiologist / Cardiac Surgeon.
Schedule follow-up appointments regularly
We must monitor their cardiac activity at regular intervals post-surgery. Make sure that you never miss any of these appointments with the doctor. If you have any questions regarding their recovery, do remember to clarify all your doubts with them.
Do not ignore any warning signs
Sometimes, cardiac surgery may impact one’s body in ways you don’t expect it to, leaving the patient vulnerable to infections. This can be even more dangerous during COVID-19 times. Hence, any symptoms such as chest pain, nausea, headaches, shortness of breath, fever, soreness around the chest cavity, or pain in any other part of the body should be brought to the doctor’s attention.
Care for your wounds, diet, and physical activity
Undergoing an open-heart surgery, or having had a pacemaker implanted, requires us
to follow any specific instructions that the doctor may have prescribed to care for the wound. While cleaning the incision, remember to use warm water and pat the area gently. It is highly recommended to check with the doctor before beginning any exercise regime. Instead of over-exercise, it is suggested that they opt for light walking, stretching, or yoga. Remember to provide them with a healthy diet, adequate sleep. They should avoid stressful build-up and remain active.
At Antara Care Homes, we offer advanced long-term and short-term care facilities for pre and post-surgical recovery. Our team of trained caregivers and doctors work tirelessly towards the seniors’ recovery by providing supervised exercises, rehabilitation and wellness therapies, vitals management, nutritional diet, and an effective emergency response system. We offer a comfortable and sanitized environment for the recuperation of seniors for their holistic well-being and speedy recovery.
At Antara, we care for your loved ones every day, in every possible way. To know more about Antara Care Home, located in Gurugram and Delhi about our pre-and post-operative care offerings, get in touch with us at +91 9811 44 1111
